Strapless garment



Dec. 25-, 1951 CADQUS 2,579,546

' STRAPLESS GARMENT Filed Dec. 23, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet l 3nventor 3'5 f: THE-e (haw/s &

attorney Dec. 25, 1951 V CADOUS 2,579,546

STRAPLESS G'ARMENT Filed Dec. 23, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2i Zhmentor EFT/7'51? 140005 (Ittorneg E. CADOUS STRAPLESS GARMENT Dec. 25, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 23, 1949 (Ittorneg Dec. 25, 1951 E. CADOUS 2,579,546

STRAPLESS GARMENT Filed Dec. 23. 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Snventor EJ777 59 CAQ005 (Ittorneg Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to strapless brassieres and has for an object to provide a strapless brassiere having novel and improved characteristics, which is comfortable to wear, is capable of firmly supporting the breasts and will not slip on the wearer.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

In accordance with one embodiment of the in- 1 vention a rigid member, such as a stiff wire. extends from the bottom of the brassire around the outside of each breast pocket and terminates at the top of the breast pocket at a point corresponding to the point of attachment of the usual shoulder strap. The stiff wire thus takes the pull of the breast pocket and provides a strapless support. The lower end of the wire is anchored in a soft cushioning material such as sponge rubber which provides a grip against the skin of the wearer and serves as a cushion for the end of the wire. In some instances a light metal gusset such as sheet magnesium is disposed over the end of the wire to assist in anchoring the same and to spread the pull over a wider area.

Supporting tapes may also extend from the top end of the wire over the breast pocket to reinforce the soft pocket material.

As another feature the back panels are formed with adjustable tapes extending along their top and bottom edges to the upper and lower parts of the wire so as to provide independent adjustment for conforming the position and angle of the wires to the figure of the wearer. The back panels or the front of the brassiere may be provided with sponge rubber skin contacting portions to prevent slippage and give the brassiere a soft feel.

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which specific embodiments are set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the brassire as it appears on the figure of a wearer; Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation of the brassiere on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the inside of the brassiere of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a supporting wi e and cover;

Fig; 5 is an edge elevation of the wire;

Fig. 6 is 'a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a slip embodying the invention;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a further embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a partial front elevation of the brassiere of Fig. 8 on a larger scale;

Fig. 10 is a detail of the supporting wire and gussets;

Fig. 11 is a similar detail of the wire and cover- Fig. 12 is a broken inside elevation of the brassiere of Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a broken inside elevation of a brassire illustrating another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 14 is a broken inside elevation of a still further embodiment;

Fig. 15 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-45 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a detail of a back panel illustrating another embodiment;

Fig. 17 is a vertical section taken on the line 41-41 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 18 is a detail of a back panel illustrating still another embodiment; and

Fig. 19 is a vertical section taken on the line Iii-19 of Fig. 18.

Referring to the drawings more in detail the invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 6 as embodied in a hrassiere having a pair of breast pockets 20 of thin soft material such as lace with the lower portions of a somewhat heavier material. A front strip 2! extends across the front of the garment below the breast pockets and is secured to the bottom of the breast pockets by stitching. The front strip may comprise a separate tape or a hem on the bottom of the material of the breast pockets.

A stiff formed wire 22 is formed with a loop 23 at the bottom to eliminate a sharp end which is secured to the front strip 2|, an upright por tion 24 extending upwardly from the front strip 2|, a curved upper portion 25 which conforms to the contour of the outer edge of the breast pocket, and a loop 26 at the top. The wire 22 is shaped to the outer edge of the breast pocket and lies along an edge tape 21 thereof. The tape 2'! serves as an attaching and supporting means for the fabric of the breast pocket 26 and extends over the top of the pockets to a center tape 30.

Back panels 3! are attached to the breast pockets Z9 and are shown as having top and bottom tapes 32 and 33 which extend from the tape 21 around the back of the wearer and are individually adjustable by slides 34. The lower tape 33 is attached to the front strip 2! to exert a pull thereon and the top tape 32 is attached to the tape 2! near the upper end of the wire 22 to adedge of the back panel and along a portion of the front strip 2|. The length of the sponge rubber strip 35 may vary, but in any event the strip lies over the loop 23 at the lower end of the wire 22. A similar sponge rubber strip 36 overlies the entire wire 22. The purpose of the strips 35 and 36 is to protect the wearer from the hard feel of the wire 22 and also to prevent slippage of the garment. The sponge rubber strip 35 is shown as backed by a stretchable strip 3'! and is preferably attached to the back panel 3| only at its ends and while under slight tension so that the strip 31 may be stretched slightly by the pull of the back panels, thereby increasing the grip on the skin of thewearer, 7

In Fig. 7 the brassiere of Figs. 1 to 6 is shown as attachedto or forming a part of a slip 40. The construction is otherwise similar to that above described. It is obvious that the brassiere can form a part of any strapless garment and will also serve as a support for the entire garment. It may for example constitute a part of a bathing suit or evening gown.

Referring to Figs. 8 to 12, the brassire is generally similar to that above described. The supporting wire 4| in this case is made in the form of a double wire having a return bend 42 and a strut 43 extending at a slight angle. A second strut 44 is also provided which may be Welded to the Wire 4|. Both'struts 43 and 44 are formed with bottom loops 45 to eliminate sharp ends.

7 The lower end of the wire 4| is anchored in a gusset 46 of a light metal such as magnesium foil which extends on both sides of the wire and is thin enough to be secured in the garment by stitches 41. The gusset 45 thus serves to extend the thrust of the wire over a greater area of the front strip 2| and improve the support.

The upper end of the wire 4| is shown in Figs. 8 to 12 as also fixed in a gusset 50 of similar material' to which tapes are secured. The tapes 5| extend over the fabric of the breast pockets and provide a strong, positive support. The tapes may be made of non-stretchable fabric or of thin metal as magnesium. One or more horizontal tapes 52 of similar material may also be used. The tapes 5I' all'pull on the end of the wire 4| at about the point where the shoulder strap would normally be attached. The wire thus takes the place of a strap and takes up the entire pull of the breast pocket. The struts 43 and 44 have been found to stiffen the wire and improve the support. One or more such struts may be used as desired. 4

In Fig. 13 the breast pockets and supports are similar to those above described. The back panels 53, however, have an upwardly inclined lower edge 54 carrying a sponge rubber strip 55 and end in stays 56. An adjustable tape 51 joins the top of the stay 56 and the upper portion of the wire 22 to provide for adjustment of the position thereof. Back strips 60 of stretchable material, such as sponge rubber backed by a stretchable fabric, extend in an upwardly inclined direction from the stays 56.

The upward inclination of the back panels and strips directs an upward pull at the base of the wires where the greatest support is needed;

The form of Fig. 14 is generally similar to that of Fig. 13 except that the back panels 53 and strips 6|] extend horizontally and the sponge rubber strips 55 are formed with holes or depressions 6 I to increase their grip.

The sponge rubber may be disposed on the back panels in the form of horizontal strips as shown in Figs. 13 and 14 or as inclined strips 62 as shown in Fig. 16 or as blocks 63 as shown in Fig. 18. The blocks may be of various sizes or shapes as shown and may be solid or perforated. It is to be understood that the sponge rubber may be used in any desired portion of the back panels, 01' front strip.

What is claimed is: I

1. A brassiere comprising a pair of breast pockets of thin fabric and a pair of back straps to be joined around the wearer, a narrow front strip extending beneath said breast pockets and joined thereto, said front strip being'attached at it ends to said back straps to receive the entire pull thereof, a stiff. metal member extending around the outsideedge of each of said breast pockets, said metal members having their lower end portions extending substantially vertically along the outer ed'ges of the respective breast pockets with their bottom ends overlyingand secured to said front strip and terminatingat the top at about the center line of the breast pockets and attached to said breast pockets to support thesame, a cushioning material disposed over said bottom ends of said metal members on the inside of the brassire to protect the skin of the wearer from saidmetal members, and a pair of tapes connected at; one end to said back straps with their forward ends attached to said metal member at about the top of said substantially vertical portion to position said member and prevent tilting thereofdue to the pull of the breasts about the pointofatta-chment of the lower ends of said metal members to said front strip.

2. In a-brassire, as set forth in claim 1, metal bracing struts extending from said front strip to said metal members to assist said tapes in holding said metal members in position.

3. A brassiere, as set forth in claim 1, in which said tapes are adjustable for adjustably positioning theupper ends of said metal members.

4. Ina brassiere, as set forth in claim 1, metal foil gussets disposed over the lower end of said metal members and secured to said front strip to anchor the metal members thereto.

5. In a brassiere, as set forth in claim 1, a layer of sponge rubber disposed along the inside of said front strip and over the lower ends of said metal members to contact the skin of the wearer for cushioning the pull of the back straps and for preventing slippage of thebrassiere.

ESTHER CADOUS. f

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: TUNITED sTATE's PATENTS 2. 00 Kramer ve -e"? Aug. 2 195.0 

